Cigarettes After Sex, “Pistol” | Track Review 🎵

Alternative collective Cigarettes After Sex returns after a two-year hiatus with a truly marvelous, relatable single, “Pistol.”

“Give me the pistol / Aim it high / I’m out in the desert / Shooting at the sky.” Hmm, that doesn’t sound positive in the least, 🎙 Gregory Gonzalez.  Gonzalez and 🎙 Cigarettes After Sex are back with a fantastic single, 🎵 “Pistol”. Well, perhaps Gonzalez or the character he plays on “Pistol” isn’t feeling fantastic.  Thematically, those pesky matters of the heart come into play as Gonzalez struggles to cope with an ended relationship.  His pain on this record, which he superbly writes, produces, and sings, is our listening pleasure.

Clocking in just under four minutes in duration, there’s plenty to love about “Pistol.” The sound is enigmatic at first before the groove and guitar settle in.  Gonzalez’s vocals are radiant, sang quietly, in an undertone. The tone is celestial, and I adore the tenderness of the performance. Even though the verses are performed quietly, the melody is incredibly tuneful. The first chorus adds a bit more oomph (added instrumentation), but never gets too high or out of character with what’s been established up until that point. There’s something truly hypnotic and mesmerizing about this performance. The songwriting is thoughtful in the verses and the chorus, which is tuneful like the verses:

“You’ve been on my mind

… I can’t deal with it

You’ve been on my mind

And I’ll waste my time

‘Til you lift me off the floor

And love me again.”

Final Thoughts 💭

All in all, “Pistol” is a marvelous musical offering from Cigarettes After Sex.  Gregory Gonzalez shines, delivering a truly relatable gem about the plight that is love. “Pistol” sneaks in late as one of the best songs of 2022. 

🎙 Cigarettes After Sex • 🎵 “Pistol” • 🏷 Spanish Prayers / Partisan • 🗓 11.15.22

[📷: Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay, Partisan, Spanish Prayers]